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KNOW."
CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT DR.
SANJAY GUPTA JOINS US TONIGHT.
>> SANJAY, WHAT IS MULTIPLE
MYELOMA?
>> IT'S A TYPE OF CANCER,
SPECIFICALLY CANCER OF CELLS
WITHIN THE BONE MARROW.
THE AREA IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR
BONE.
YOU GET ALL THESE DIFFERENT
CELLS THAT ARE PRODUCED THERE.
ONE OF THE CELLS IN THAT BONE
MARIJ
MARROW STARTS GROWING TOO
RAPIDLY AND CROWDS OUT THE OTHER
CELLS.
IT'S IN A SIMILAR CLASS AS
LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA.
>> THE STATEMENT SAYS THE
DOCTORS ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE
OUTCOME OF THE TREATMENT HE'S
RECEIVING.
>> THIS IS A SERIOUS CANCER.
THERE'S NO SPECIFIC CURE FOR IT.
IT VERY MUCH DEPENDS ON WHAT
STAGE IT'S CAUGHT AND HOW
SOMEONE IS RESPONDING TO
THERAPY.
I SORT OF READ THE SAME
STATEMENT AND READ INTO THAT
THAT THERE'S ALL SORTS OF
DIFFERENT TREATMENTS AVAILABLE.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO WITH THIS
TYPE OF CANCER IS YOU BASICALLY
WANT TO KILL ALL THE VARIOUS
CELLS WITHIN THE BONE MARROW.
YOU WANT TO KILL OUT THE PLASMA
CELLS, WHICH ARE THE CANCEROUS
CELLS AND RECREATE THE MARROW.
IT'S A LONG INVOLVED PROCESS.
THAT'S THE TYPE OF TREATMENT
HE'S UNDERGOING.
>> IT THAT CHEMOTHERAPY?
>> IT'S A TYPE OF CHEMOTHERAPY.
THE CHEMOTHERAPY IS TARGETING
THE CELLS WITHIN THE BONE
MARROW.
THE PROBLEM IS YOU NEED GOOD
CELLS IN THE BONE MARROW.
WHITE BLOOD CELLS, RED BLOOD
CELLS, PLATELETS.
EVENTUALLY YOU HAVE TO GIVE
THOSE CELLS BACK TO THE BODY.
IF FOR A TIME PERIOD THE PATIENT
DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH CELLS AND
YOU HAVE TO EVENTUALLY GIVE
THOSE BACK SLOWLY.
>> HE'S OBVIOUSLY A VERY ACTIVE
GUY.
THE FACT HE'S CONTINUED TO WORK
ON PROJECTS FOR NBC NEWS
THROUGHOUT THE TREATMENT WHAT
DOES THAT TELL YOU?
>> THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF
SYMPTOMS THE PEOPLE DEVELOP.
IT DEPENDS ON WHAT STAGE THEY
ARE.
IF IT WAS CAUGHT EARLY IT
WOULDN'T BE THAT SURPRISING.
.
I COULD TELL YOU ONE OF THE
EARLIEST SYMPTOMS PEOPLE DEVELOP
SOMETIMES IS BONE PAIN OR BACK
PAIN SPECIFICALLY.
THEY GET LITTLE LESIONS IN THE
BONE, FOR EXAMPLE ON SOMEBODY'S
SKULL.
BUT THOSE PUNCHED OUT LESIONS
TEND TO CAUSE PAIN.
AND THAT'S WHAT SOMEBODY
TYPICALLY GOES TO THE DOCTOR
FOR.
THEY MAY NOT HAVE ANY OTHER
SYMPTOMS.
BUT THEY MAY EVENTUALLY DEVELOP
FATIGUE, MAY DEVELOP SORT OF
MORE PROFOUND SYMPTOMS AS TIME
GOES ON.
BUT IF IT'S EARLY HE COULD BE
DOING JUST FINE.
>> IS IT KNOWN WHAT CAUSES
MULTIPLE MYELOMA?
>> THEY DON'T KNOW FOR SURE.
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THERE'S A
GENETIC GLITCH IN PEOPLE.
IT'S SORT OF A CANCER SWITCH
THAT IS STUCK IN THE ON
POSITION, IF YOU WILL.